Fitness apps are very popular. With more individuals paying attention to their fitness and well-being, fitness applications have become a standard feature on practically every smartphone. This trend has only been accelerated by COVID-19. People are turning to virtual lessons to stay fit and motivated as they have limited access to gyms and in-person training. Take, for example, MyFitnessPal. In 2020, the product has already made more than $1.4 million and is on course to become the highest-grossing fitness app of all time. It’s no surprise that many of us begin to ask, “How to Create a Workout App?” or, more specifically, “How to Create a Winning Workout App?”
WHAT MAKES A FITNESS APP SUCCESSFUL?

In 2021, the Global Fitness App Market was estimated to be worth $13,78 billion. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 24.3% between 2021 and 2030. The global fitness app market is expected to be worth $120.37 billion in 2023.
The global online income generated by the fitness app market will reach 3,567.7 million US dollars in 2024, according to Statista. During the same time period, fitness wearables will create revenue of 17,863.9 million.
With the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, user behavior was forever altered. Many people began utilizing workout apps to be fit and healthy instead of going to fitness clubs or jogging.
Peloton, a fitness startup, saw its stock rise 13% during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak.
The need for such applications will only increase in the next years; therefore investing in fitness app development is a sound investment.
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FITNESS APPLICATIONS: WHICH ARE AND WHICH ARE THE MOST POPULAR TODAY?
The first step in determining how to make a fitness app is identifying what type of custom workout app you will build.
The most prominent types of such apps today are a few unique types. Let’s take a look at each of them individually.
- Activity tracking apps
This is the most commonly used type. These fitness-tracking apps may track a user’s activity throughout the day. The software tracks the number of steps taken, distance traveled, number of stairs climbed, speed run, number of hours slept, and the number of calories burned.
Running, cycling, and simple activity applications are examples of activity trackers. Running and cycling apps frequently rely on GPS data to precisely measure distances traveled; determine speed, and so on.
Such apps typically provide data in graphs, allow users to save routes on a map, display users’ progress, and compare it to historical records.
Healthcare by Apple is a prime example of such an application.
- Dieting and nutrition apps
Almost 18% of female and 10% of male US users actively use diet and nutrition tracking apps. Users can use such apps to lose or gain weight, control their healthy eating habits, track calorie consumption, and much more, depending on their own goals.
Lifesum, YouAte, Yummly, and other well-known applications are examples of such applications.
- Workout apps
You are probably the most interested in this type of application if you are wondering how to design an exercise app. A fitness app functions as a personal trainer on your smartphone. For the most part, such apps enable you to receive personal training sessions in real-time with the instructors of your choice.
In other circumstances, they enable users to construct training plans based on their preferences, goals, physical conditions, and so on. Users are given with a training plan after answering questions and providing information about their weight, height, and health issues.
Fitbit Coach, Adidas Training and Running, Nike Training Club, and many more are examples of such programs.
- High-intensity interval training apps
Similar software provides short 10-minute training routines. Users expend a lot of energy and burn calories in a short period of time as a result of high-intensity exercises.
The first thing to note while learning how to make a workout app is that such workouts necessitate a particular level of physical fitness on the part of the user. The information should be highlighted several times throughout the app. Furthermore, this condition should be taken into account while creating the application.
- Personal trainer or studio app
Some personal trainers and training facilities have their own exercise applications. You may create a fitness app with a variety of features. A potential set of functionality might include elements that allow you to select a trainer, look into their schedules, and identify free time to arrange training sessions.
If you want to learn how to develop a workout app and make it effective, you should think about including a news feed with useful information. This function will aid in user engagement and retention.
- Meditation app
This type of fitness app is also known as a yoga and meditation app. They provide customers a variety of workouts to help them relax and practice yoga. It is critical to remember that such methods should be classified according to their level of complexity.
Daily Yoga and Apple’s Breathe are two excellent examples of such applications.
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FEATURES & BENEFITS FOR FITNESS APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
- Sign up / log in
An exercise app’s user registration and sign-in are typical features. Make sure you give users a variety of options, such as email registration and quick sign-up with social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
- User account
If you want to make money from your fitness app, you’ll need a user account. Workout applications give users information about their workout progress, accomplishments, personal objectives, and much more.
A personal account can have several choices, such as the ability to access an app on multiple devices with data stored in the cloud. It is also possible to add capabilities to manage paid subscriptions and billions of records using linked payment systems.
Among the other features that users will appreciate is the opportunity to upload images, change interface preferences, and enter their weight, height, and other physical and health characteristics to create personalized workout routines.
- Social integration
Nowadays, it is difficult to find a user who is not active on at least one social networking platform. As previously said, while designing a workout app with a personal account, you must consider this aspect. However, you can take this capability a step further by allowing users to share their fitness accomplishments with their peers via social media in addition to social sign-up and log-in.
- Device connectivity
We strongly advise you to consider this feature if you plan to create a fitness app that will provide users with accurate and valuable information about their physical activity. Fitness app developers can assist you in integrating your personal training app with various wearable devices. The HealthKit and Google Fit APIs will assist you in obtaining data from the Apple Watch and the most popular wearables running Google’s Wear OS.
- Activity tracking
The fundamental aspect of any workout or fitness app is activity tracking. This capability is strongly related to the preceding point because it involves the collecting of data on user activity, which is best done with wearables. However, built-in smartphone sensors such as GPS can also be used. You may create a fitness app that counts steps, and calculates calories burned, miles traveled, and so on.
- Geolocation
This function is commonly used in running and cycling fitness applications. Users can build courses for running, tacking, trekking, walking, and other activities using integrated Google or Apple maps and built-in GPS sensors. Strava has nailed it with this function.
- Calorie counting
Most people use workout apps to shed weight or build muscle. As a result, it is critical to track how many calories people intake and burn throughout daily jobs and workouts.
- Notifications
Push notifications are required for many applications, including fitness apps. You can use these notifications to notify users about major app updates or to remind them about upcoming exercises and the need to exercise more.
Please keep in mind that such notifications should not irritate consumers. It could be a good idea to allow users to customize the app’s notification system by modifying the time and frequency of such notifications for this reason.
- Goal setting
Personal goals are extremely motivating, especially when combined with the option to make personal goals and share them with others via social media platforms. This is a terrific method for encouraging your users to challenge themselves and work out more in accordance with their specific goals. If you decide to create a fitness plan app, don’t overlook this functionality.
- Workouts
There are several approaches to incorporating this function into a fitness app. You can give customers preset workouts, allow them to build their own, or get professional guidance and workout plan creation from a professional fitness coach.
HOW TO CREATE A WORKOUT APP: STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
It is now time to move on to the step-by-step instructions for creating a fitness app. The major processes and stages of the mobile fitness app development process will be covered.
STEP 1: MARKET RESEARCH
During this step, you must research the local fitness app market and pick which fitness app to develop. Before you proceed and begin the development process, you must first identify your rivals, their strengths and limitations, and how they address user concerns. Use the acquired data to conduct a thorough analysis and pick which type to construct.
STEP 2: FEATURES FOR THE FIRST APP VERSION
It is now time to decide on features for a user-friendly and feature-rich fitness app. Make a complete list of features for the version of your workout app and determine which ones will help you outperform competitors.
STEP 3: FIND FITNESS APP DEVELOPERS
Approach this stage with caution and be prepared to spend some time locating the most dependable source. Pay attention to the following factors as you evaluate companies:
- Number of years in business
- Related mobile app development experience
- Positive client feedback
- Advantageous time zone and hourly rate
- Senior developer availability
You may find development businesses on Clutch, Manifest, IT Firms, and other similar directories where you can compare hourly prices, read reviews, and pick a company that will become your dependable technical collaborator throughout the life of your project.
STEP 4: MOBILE WORKOUT APP DEVELOPMENT
Most businesses divide the development process into five major stages:
Analysis and planning-This stage, also known as the Discovery stage, typically requires the participation of business analysts, UX/UI designers, software architects, and product owners. You study the market, determine the best ways for app development to construct app architecture, and design the prototype during the discovery stage.
UX/UI design-Designers construct user flows, establish the best ways for users to engage with your application, design the app’s user interface, and create branding components during this stage.
Fitness app development-Fitness app creation – this is where the process begins. Developers implement the planned functionality and establish the required software architecture during this phase.
Testing and deployment -It assures that your program is bug-free and that users have no difficulty interacting with it. You can distribute the app to the market once it has been tested.
STEP 5: MARKETING STRATEGY
Even if your application is still in development, you should begin planning your marketing strategy. You can take a more complicated approach and market your app through various channels:
- Paid advertisements (Google, Facebook, in-store)
- Marketing on social media
- Collaborating with niche influencers
- App promotion at events
- Collaboration with fitness businesses
After successfully deploying the app, keep track of the key metrics to determine what you can improve in future releases.
STEP 6: ONGOING DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT
Continue working on your application after you’ve made a list of improvements. Enhance its functionality by adding new features, listening to consumer input, and addressing their problem points with effective solutions.
The preceding describes how to develop an exercise app and ensure its success.
Conclusion- Here in this article, we discuss How to Create a Fitness App | and create your own workout plan app. When you decide to design a fitness app, you must deal with market research, app creation planning, the development process, after-launch support, and ongoing development. You may secure the success of your future application by selecting a distinct collection of features and resolving issues that your competitors have overlooked.
FAQ
The lowest cost of fitness app development is $5,000-$0,000 for the most basic app version with the fewest features. If you decide to create two feature-rich native apps for iOS and Android, the cost can approach $172,000 and beyond.
1. Market research
2. Features for the first app version
3. Find fitness app developers
4. Mobile workout app development
5. Ongoing development and support